Silvers lived in the single-wide mobile home on Sherrill Drive with his wife and other family members, but the man was home alone when the fire broke out around 6 a.m.

“We feel like he attempted to get out but was overcome by smoke and toxic gas from fire,” said Hendrix.

Silvers was in a back bedroom area. The walls of that portion of the mobile home disintegrated in the fire.

Hendrix is still finishing up the investigation, but he said it appears that a space heater set too close to clothing and bedding sparked the fire.

Hendrix stressed the importance of installing functional smoke detectors in houses. Silvers’ family told Hendrix that the home had smoke detectors, but they weren’t sure if the devices were operational.

Anyone who needs smoke detectors for their home can contact local fire departments.

“I can’t guarantee you that a smoke detector would’ve saved this guy’s life, but it can give you a better chance,” said Hendrix.